Overview

Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Subject Area: All Subject Areas
Number of Students (average): 30
Years of Teaching: 2 years of teaching

Description

Answer the following questions as if you were giving advice to a student teacher.

How would I introduce a discussion of my approach to instructional design?			My approach to instructional design begins with looking at where my class is and where I want them to be. I then create a plan to get my students where they need to be. I try my best to tailor that plan for each child by differentiating my instruction.
What are my resources for designing units and lessons?			I have several resources that are available to me when designing my units and lessons. One resource that I have is the internet. I am able to look on the internet for ideas that have worked for other teachers. Another resource that I have would be the teachers around me. I ask my co-workers for ideas if there is a topic or unit that I need extra assistance with. A third resource is the library. I pull books that have to do with a topic that I am teaching; these books help me better understand all that is involved in my topic and it gives my students a resource to look at as well. At Smith we also have achievement advisers who are gurus in different subject areas. These advisers are an absolute wealth of knowledge. The advisers also have rooms that are filled with manipulatives that can be checked out and used in classrooms.
What do I generally do first?			I begin with looking at the standards for the grade level that I am teacher. After that I lay out the standards over the course of the year and determine where they fit best based on benchmarks and other standardized tests. Once I have the general ideas laid out for the year I break them down into smaller ideas or concepts. I think about what the base of the concept is and I then start with the foundation of a concept. Once I know the concept and determine the foundation that needs to be laid I begin the planning process. I first pre-assess my students to determine what they already know. Once I have an understanding of what my students know and the foundation needed I begin my instructional design.
How do I interact with the standards?			I interact with the standards by using them as a guideline to plan my year. The standards give me a broad view of what my students are expected to learn in the grade they are in. I then take the standards and break them down to determine each item that needs to be taught and what is included in that unit.
What are my constraints and how do I respond to them?			There are some definite restraints that make teaching more difficult. The main constraint that I have is time. There is not enough time in the day to get all the planning done that I want to get done. Also, I do not have enough time with my students in the classroom to teach them all that I would like to teach them. Another constraint would be class size. I believe that I could be a much more effective teacher if I had a smaller group of students to work with. This would allow each student more individualized attention and it would help me to differentiate to an even greater extent. Money is a constraint that engulfs all the other constraints. If there was more money in the system there would be more teachers which would mean smaller class sizes. Money would also mean that there could be assistants in the classroom to help monitor classroom behavior. Another reason why money is a constraint is due to the fact that there are so many manipulatives and other tools out there that districts and teachers are not able to buy due to budgeting.
How do I approach student assessment?			I approach student assessment in a variety of ways. I try to create objective assessments that appeal to each learner and will allow each student to truly show me what they understand and are capable of. Some of my assessments are project based, some are verbally based, and others are pencil and paper based.
How do I approach post-assessment?
How do I approach self-assessment?			I am my own worst critic. Following every lesson I look back and wonder what I could have done better. I ponder whether or not all of my students were engaged, whether I differentiated it enough to meet each of my student learners, if my objectives were met, and if it was taught in the best way possible. I always try to pick at least one thing from each lesson to improve upon for next time.
What are areas I would like to learn more about and/or become better at?			There are two main areas that I would like to become better at. One subject area that I would like to become better at teaching is writing. Writing is a complex subject area and cannot be taught in black or white. Each child has their own writing style and imagination and I would like to learn what I can do to help foster each child as a writer. Another area that I would like to learn more about would be administration. One day I would like to be an administrator of a school and in order for that to happen I need to become more aware of what all goes into the administration aspect of running a school.
What final advice would I give about my approach to instructional design?			Teaching is the most rewarding career in the entire world. Give your students your heart, put a great deal of effort into your lessons, and never stop caring. If you do these three things you will be unstoppable!